A YOUNG dad who once slept rough on the streets of Middlesbrough is now standing proud as one of the success stories of a £5.7m pioneering centre for the homeless.

The first resident of STAGES Academy, which replaced Wellington Street hostel, is about to fly the nest.

Adam Wheatley, 23, came to live at the centre, which aims to provide a launch pad for residents to gain the skills and confidence to move on with their lives, a year ago.

Originally from Grangetown, he was sleeping rough at 18 and had run-ins with the law when he got into the wrong crowd. He managed to get a flat of his own, but after it was repeatedly robbed he felt threatened and found himself sleeping on his girlfriend’s mum’s floor.

A friend he had known from the old hostel pointed him in the direction of STAGES, run by Riverside ECHG, and he moved into one of the of 30 en-suite rooms.

At the time he was down with little hope about his future and felt like “everything was coming to an end”.

He benefited from mentoring sessions as well as life skills coaching, including cooking lessons in a fully-fitted kitchen.

He attended Fairbridge Teesside, a charity which helps disadvantaged youngsters, and gained qualifications in outdoor activities including kayaking and canoeing and climbed Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Ben Nevis.

Last October his son Luke was born, but the youngster had to go through a serious operation after he suffered from a diaphragmatic hernia, which is a hole in the diaphragm that allows the abdominal contents to move into the chest.

But despite the stresses on his shoulders, Adam received the support he needed from the “amazing” staff.

He said: “I went in to an apartment in the centre. I was on the top floor. I was managing to keep level headed, making friends and if you ever had a problem I could talk to staff, 24 hours a day.”

Adam went for a job as an apprentice instructor for an outdoor education centre, called Kingswood, that runs residentials for schoolchildren and was delighted to get the job.

He said: “It’s my perfect job. I know that I’m going to be able to provide for my child and that makes a huge difference. It would not have been that way if I had not found this place.”

Adam’s job will be based in Kent and he has been using the gym at the centre, which also has radio recording studio, to get fit ahead of his two-week induction. He has been sponsored £150 for the new kit he needs from kindhearted couple Mike and Ann Richards, of the Friends of Yarm.

The husband and wife team, of Yarm, have also sponsored the travel costs of another resident, Sarah Rooney, 24, who is completing an arts course.

They have a long history of supporting the homeless in Teesside and are hosting a charity gig at the King’s Head, in Hutton Rudby, on March 5, to raise further funds.

The centre’s 30 rooms and 12 of the 18 apartments became available last March.

The remaining six apartments were finished in October, and all are currently occupied, with people aged 16 to 65, who can stay for up to 12 months.

A community cafe is also on the way.

Colin West, area manager for the North-east for Riverside, said: “As an example, we have had people that have come to us that have been told that if their lifestyle does not change in six months they could be dead. When you see somebody turn their life around it’s a massive achievement.”